1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a motor vehicle with a wheel house and a pivotable device that projects into the wheel house to reduce the flow of air into the wheel house while the motor vehicle is moving.
2. Description of the Related Art
Air flows into the wheel house of a vehicle while the vehicle is moving, and therefore the air flowing around the vehicle is disturbed in the region of this region of the motor vehicle. Different solutions have been disclosed for reducing the flow of air into the wheel house while a motor vehicle is moving.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,845,709 discloses a plate-like device that is pivotable about a vertical axis for reducing the flow of air into the wheel house while the motor vehicle is moving. A force generator can transfer the plate-like device between a non-effective position and an operative position. The device is oriented parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel and bears against the wheel house in the non-effective position. However, the device is pivoted out by approximately 90° in the operative position and substantially spans the distance from the wheel house to the radially outer circumference of the wheel, said circumference facing the outside of the vehicle. Thus, air cannot flow from the side of the vehicle into the wheel house while the vehicle is moving.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,869 discloses a motor vehicle with a device for reducing the flow of air into the wheel house while the motor vehicle is moving. In this connection, a partial region of the wheel house that faces the front of the motor vehicle is connected pivotably to the remaining region of the wheel house. This pivotable region of the wheel house can be moved closer to the wheel by an adjustment mechanism. The flow cross section for the air into the region between wheel house and wheel can thereby be reduced. The pivot axis of the device is parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel.
The measures mentioned for reducing the flow of air into the wheel house of a motor vehicle improve the aerodynamics of the motor vehicle in the region of the wheel house and improve the aerodynamic drag of the motor vehicle. As a result, fuel consumption for the motor vehicle is reduced.
It is an object of the invention to develop a motor vehicle with a structurally simple mechanism that reduces the flow of air from below into the wheel house while the motor vehicle is moving.